Store FAQ

You'll find apps and games by the thousands in the Windows Phone Store, which is the Microsoft virtual entertainment shop for your phone. Many apps are totally free, and others let you try before you buy.

To get music, videos, and podcasts, in the App list tap Music, Video, or Podcasts.

Explore the Store on the web

Browse top charts: free or paid, best-rated, or new and rising. Prowl through categories or check out the apps and games we picked for you, all on your PC, Mac, or tablet. Open your favorite browser and go to www.microsoft.com/store/apps/windows-phone.

Shop from your phone

Pan down to browse featured apps or games, or swipe over to browse other collections and categories. If you know what you're looking for, you can also tap Search

. When you find an app or game you want, tap it.

Tip

Once you've tapped an app or game, on Overview, pan down to see screenshots. Swipe over to see customer reviews, details, and related apps. Tap Share (or More

> Share) to send someone a link to the app or game.

If an app or game is free, tap Install to download it. Otherwise:

Tap Buy to pay for it (you'll be prompted twice).

Tap Try to download a free trial version (if available).

Note

Depending on your mobile operator, app and game purchases may be added to your phone bill. To pay with a credit card instead, after tapping Buy, on the Confirm purchase screen, tap Add or switch payment methods. From there, you can switch to another payment method or add a new one. For a list of mobile operators that support mobile operator billing in each country, see Mobile operator billing on Windows Phone Dev Center.

Look in the App list for new apps or games you've bought. (It might take several minutes for an app or game to finish downloading.)

Note

Some apps and features won't work on phones with less than 1 GB of RAM. To see how much memory your phone has, check the manufacturer's website or your phone's documentation.

All of the apps and games on your Windows Phone can be found in the App list—just swipe over from the Start screen to go there. You can pan up or down in the App list to see your installed apps or tap a letter to jump to a section of the alphabet.

Swipe over from Start to see the App list

Your apps don't need to stay put in the App list, of course. You can tap and hold any app to pin it to Start or to uninstall it. (Some important apps that come with your phone, like Phone

and Alarms

, can't be uninstalled.)

The App list is also the place where you can check the status of an app download or installation. If there's a problem with an app, you can usually tap Attention required below the app name to get more information.

In addition to appearing in the App list, apps can show up other places and connect with your phone in interesting ways. For example, in the Photos Hub, you might see photo-related apps you've downloaded. Or, in Wallet, you might be asked to install your bank's app when you add a credit or debit card.

Depending on the app, Windows Phone might also be able to send relevant information to the app to save you time, or vice versa. For example, installing your bank's app can give you access to your account info in your Wallet, without you having to open the app. Or, if you install the Skype app, your Skype contacts will be added to your contacts list in the People Hub.

The people who create apps and games for Windows Phone are constantly making tweaks and improvements, fixing bugs, or adding new features. When a newer version of an app you've downloaded becomes available, the update will be downloaded and installed automatically.

By default, app updates will only be installed over Wi-Fi. If you're not on Wi-Fi when an update becomes available, the update will be added to your downloads queue and will download automatically the next time your phone connects to a Wi-Fi network.

If you have an app update in your downloads queue, and it's less than 50 MB, you can choose to download it immediately over your cellular data network:

In the App list, tap Store

.

Tap More

, then tap Downloads.

Under Downloads, tap the app you want to update, and then tap Update.

You can change your app update settings in the following ways:

In the App list, tap Store

.

Tap More

, and then tap Settings.

Under App updates, do one of the following:

Turn off Update apps automatically

to prevent any updates from installing until you take action in the downloads queue.

Turn off Only get updates over Wi-Fi

to allow updates that are smaller than 50 MB to automatically download over your cellular connection.

Many apps or games are designed to take advantage of specific hardware and software features of your Windows Phone. For example, a photo app might need to use your phone's camera, or a restaurant guide might need to know your location to provide nearby recommendations.

You can see what features an app requires by tapping the app in the Windows Phone Store and swiping over to Details. You'll see the app requirements listed at the bottom of the page. Apps are required to ask you for permission before they use certain phone features. If you don't want to allow an app to access something listed in the requirements, you can choose not to install the app.

Note

Some apps and features won't work on phones with less than 1 GB of RAM. To see how much memory your phone has, check the manufacturer's website or your phone's documentation.

Here's a list of some features that may appear in the details screen:

Appointments. Allows an app to access the calendar and appointment info on your phone.

Camera. Allows an app to access the phone's built-in camera.

Compass. Allows an app to access the phone's built-in compass, if available.

Contacts. Allows an app to access the contact info on your phone.

Data services. Your phone's cellular data or Wi-Fi connection.

Gyroscope. Allows an app to access the phone's built-in gyroscope, if available.

Deleting an app or game removes it from your phone and frees up space. It also removes any information it may have contained, such as notes in an app, or save files for a game. So you should remove apps and games with care.

Swipe over to the App list to see the apps you can delete

Delete an app or game

In the App list, tap and hold an app or game and then tap Uninstall.

When you're asked for confirmation, tap Yes.

Note

If you're using Windows Phone 8 and you want to delete a game, go to Games

, tap and hold a game you want to delete, and then tap Uninstall.

Reinstall apps or games from your phone

If you accidentally delete an app or game—or ever have to replace your phone—you can reinstall apps or games you've bought without paying for them again (as long as they're still available in the Windows Phone Store).

On Start, tap Store

.

Tap Search

to find the app or game you want to reinstall.

Tap Install.

Tip

To see what apps and games you've previously installed on your phone, go to Store

> More

> My apps.

Notes

Xbox and Windows Phone Store may not be available in your country or region.

You'll need a Wi-Fi connection to download any apps that are larger than 50 MB.

Live Apps are apps that can be pinned to Start as Live Tiles or used on your Live Lock Screen, where they show information or images that change periodically. For example, a weather app's Tile could display current temperatures and conditions that update every few minutes, or a social media app on your Live Lock Screen might show recent messages to you.

Some apps and games are available only for specific phone models—often because the app is provided by the phone's manufacturer. If it isn't available for your phone, we'll notify you on the app's details screen in the Store.

Get suggestions about apps you might enjoy by opting in to suggestions using your Microsoft account on your Windows Phone. You can also get app recommendations based on what you and your friends enjoy when you opt in to suggestions with your Facebook account.

How do I opt in to suggestions?

If you haven't already, sign in on your phone using your using your Microsoft account.

In the App list, tap Store

and then tap More

> Settings.

Tap Suggestions.

Turn on Suggestions

.

Once you've logged into your Facebook account, you can connect it to Bing and get recommendations based on your interests as well as your friends' interests. In the Store settings, tap Facebook and tap OK when prompted. If you change your mind about Facebook suggestions, tap and hold Facebook, then tap Remove Facebook suggestions.

What suggestions will I see in the Store?

Once your Microsoft account is opted in for app recommendations, tap Store

on your phone and swipe over to For You (you might see For [your name] if we know your name). We'll show you a list of apps and games you might like based on those you've already bought or downloaded.

If you also connect your Facebook account, we can make recommendations using the apps and games you and your friends have liked on Facebook.

What happens when I opt in to suggestions with my Microsoft and Facebook accounts?

When you connect your Microsoft account to Bing, we'll be able to get a sense of your tastes and preferences based on the things you do on your phone and in other places where you've signed in with the same Microsoft account, like Xbox Music or Bing.com. If you also connect your Facebook account, we can factor in the apps that you or your friends download and love, places where you've checked in, and your interests as well as your friends' interests. The Facebook pages you've liked and the pages your friends like and recommend will help us better tailor our suggestions to your style.

Will Facebook use my Microsoft account information?

If you receive an error related to payment when making a purchase in the Windows Phone Store, you may be able to fix the problem by changing or updating the payment method associated with your Microsoft account. For example, if the billing address, expiration date, or security code for your credit card have changed, you'll need to update your Microsoft account to reflect the change. To manage the credit card associated with your Microsoft account, go to the Microsoft commerce website, sign in, and click Payment options.

Notes

The billing address country of the credit card must match the country or region of your phone.

If you recently set up a new payment method and you're receiving a payment error, you'll want to make sure that you're using an approved payment method. You can use Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards to buy apps. Pre-paid cards and gift cards (even those with a Visa or MasterCard logo) are currently not accepted by the Windows Phone Store. If you're not sure what type of card you have, or if you're still having issues, try contacting your bank to find out more.

You may not be able to download some apps and games if a parent has set up My Family. To unblock purchases, a parent can change My Family settings for your phone. For more information, see My Family for Windows Phone.

If your phone supports an SD card, the best way to free up space is to move media from your phone's internal storage to the SD card. And if you're running Windows Phone 8.1, you can even install apps and games directly to your SD card. To learn more, see Storage on my phone.

If you're having problems with a specific app or game, the best thing to do is contact the publisher of the app. Contact info is often available within the app itself (look for Settings or About). You can also find general info about the publisher in the Store

. From the app's Overview page, swipe over to Details.

Another way to contact the publisher is to leave a review for the app. In the App list, tap and hold the app and then tap rate and review .

Here are some other things you can try:

Close the app, then open it again. Press and hold the Back

button, then swipe down on any app or tap Close

to close it.

Restart your phone. Hold the Power

button until you see Slide down to power off, then swipe down. After it's off, press the Power button to turn on your phone again.

Check for app updates. If your phone is running Windows Phone 8.1, updates should install automatically. If your phone is running an earlier version of the Windows Phone software, in the Store

, tap Updates, and then tap Update all.

Uninstall, then reinstall the app. To uninstall an app, in the App list, tap and hold the app, and then tap Uninstall. After it finishes uninstalling, you can download it again from the Store.